


Overlapped Destinies

by Anonymous



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Blogger Oh Sehun, Florist Kim Jongin | Kai, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Jongin's ex is an asshole, M/M, Mentions of Kim Bros, Runaway Jongin, They meet in Bali, Traveler Sehun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 14:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30006459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “For you!” Sehun gives him the bouquet and at the same time shows his left hand, which was hidden behind his back. “To new beginnings!” He tilts his head as he shakes the champagne bottle. Jongin laughs. He’s lucky to have found a good friend when he was all alone.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10
Collections: monthlysekai's Flower Garden





	Overlapped Destinies

**Author's Note:**

> Bouquet of Daffodils for monthlysekai's Challenge #5
> 
> And a whole shop of bear's breeches :)
> 
> I hope you like it!

It’s easy to miss the sight of the sun shining bright up in the sky when you’re looking down on yourself. It’s  so easy to miss the sight of the beautiful colors of the rainbow when all you can see is the ruckus created by the pouring rain.

Jongin can’t remember the last time he swam in the ocean or hiked in the mountains. He tries to pinpoint the exact moment when he changed so much. He goes back to his childhood and revisits his memories. Being a free spirit and growing up in Jeju Island, he could always be found outdoors exploring nature. 

His parents, who were always worried he could get injured, would often send out one of his older brothers to chase him and bring him  back home. He didn’t like it. It always felt like he was being shackled, kept under constant surveillance. But he  also understood he was the family’s baby and that they only wanted to protect him.

He was eighteen when he entered university and secured a part time job in one of the island’s resorts as a sports guide. He was only nineteen when he met the man who would snatch his heart - and eventually break it. Taeho was smart and funny and very, very handsome. He was also one of the heirs to the resort Jongin was employed to and as such he was ridiculously rich. And he used all his tricks to seduce Jongin.

What started as a summer fling ended up becoming so serious that Jongin was engaged to be married at the young age of twenty-one. The engagement party! That was the moment he changed! As the soon-to-be husband of one of the wealthiest heirs in the country, his in-laws expected him to be more put together and less wild. And he loved Taeho too much to see how happy his fiancé was to tame  him and make a trophy husband out of him.

But he put up with that. His family was happy and he really  _ really _ loved his fiancé. So, in the name of this love, Jongin tried to adapt to this new reality.

Until the day he found out Taeho was cheating on him… with his secretary -  the cliché of all clichés. His heart broke into a million pieces and he broke off the engagement. Taeho came  after him asking for forgiveness and  his act was so good that even Jongin’s family tried to make him reconsider. But he knew his fiancé  all too well to recognize when he was not being 100% sincere. He needed to think so, without further notice, he packed a few things, got a hold of his passport and ran away.

It’s so easy to lose yourself to the sight of the sun shining bright up in the sky or the beautiful rainbow set in the horizon when all you are used to seeing is the gray polluted sky.  Nature is pure and kind and can light anyone’s life, if they just allow it!

Sehun grew up in Seoul. He was the very definition of a big city boy. Whenever he was not in school, he was indoors, playing video games or watching movies with his friends. But his mind was alway wandering, alway imagining how it would be to go abroad and visit different places and taste different cultures.

He was eighteen when he went away to Europe for a backpack trip with some money he managed to save during his high school years. He created a travel blog where he would write about the places he visited and complemented with pictures he would take with the semi professional camera his parents gifted him - he found out he had an eye for photography by taking family pictures.

What was supposed to be a summer vacation turned into a full time job when his blog caught the attention of a travel conglomerate. He spent two years exploring the European continent, from Portugal to Russia, up to Iceland and down to Greece. His articles were amongst the most commented ones on the company’s website. His pictures became regular front covers at the company’s magazine. And the destinations he picked as the most beautiful or the most entertaining or even the most relaxing became top sellers in the company’s travel agency.

When he came back home he was already the CEO’s favorite person. He was given the freedom to plan his own assignments and even adapt them to his university schedule - which he joined upon his return.

The next 4 years, Sehun did his best to balance his university projects with his job assignments. Whenever possible, he would use his travels as the background to his stories - yes, Sehun was studying to become a writer.

Jongin has been living in Bali for the past year and a half when he meets Sehun, who hires him as his personal guide. They meet by chance when Sehun is looking for a tourist guide that knows the island well enough to show him different spots from the ones tourists normally go for. Jongin is pointed out by his colleagues and Sehun is pleased. Finding another korean can be useful, so  Sehun hires him for the whole month he’ll be staying there.

Jongin  on the other hand loves to hear Sehun’s background story and as time passes by he ends up sharing his story as well. Sehun, who didn’t understand initially why Jongin’s smile never reached his eyes, feels sorry for him and his broken heart. They become closer to the point that they stopped thinking of themselves as employer and employee. They became friends.

“You know, I miss home. I miss my family.” Jongin confessed one day. “Walking this trail and discovering this beach reminded me how much I loved to explore Jeju, especially when Minseok hyung could join me.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to go back home?” Sehun asked, while taking some beautiful shots of the wild beach. The place itself was beautiful, but not as beautiful as Jongin’s sun kissed face. And Sehun couldn’t help but to take some shots of him too.

“I don’t think I’m ready to face my family, nor my ex.”

“You don’t have to go to Jeju. Go to Seoul for a  while, test the waters.”

“I don’t know… do you think I could do well in the big city?”

“Well, you grew up in a place where you would truly appreciate nature. People in Seoul like to think they appreciate nature by having flowers wherever, even if they don’t understand their meaning like you do. So, why not teach them to have the right flower to meet their mood? Have you never thought about owning a flower shop ?”

Jongin is looking at the small window of the airplane. He hasn't seen Seoul from above in a few years now and the city looks even bigger and scarier now. It’s been six months since Sehun left Bali and he still couldn’t believe he was actually going forward with his friend’s crazy idea.

After landing and catching his suitcase, Jongin leaves the airport arrivals area only to find Sehun holding a happy smile and a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers.

“For you!” Sehun gives him the bouquet  and at the same time shows his left hand, which was hidden behind his back. “To new beginnings!” He tilts his head as he shakes the champagne bottle. Jongin laughs. He’s lucky to have found a good friend when he was all alone.

Sehun is drowning. It’s been an year since Jongin moved to Seoul. He helped his friend open his Nini Bear’s Breeches Flower Shop. He introduced Jongin to his closest friends and they immediately adopted him. His own mother favors Jongin over him. It seems everybody falls in love with him, and Sehun is no exception.

The difference is Sehun is really  _ in love _ with Jongin. He has been since they met in Bali. But he knew better than  to make a move on him. Jongin is broken and it will take him a long time to heal.

Sehun is a patient man, so he waits. And he  hopes… he  hopes Jongin will see him one day.

But sometimes it’s hard for him to keep his feelings at bay. Some nights, when they go out and he sees Jongin flirting on the dance floor, it’s hard to keep his poker face while jealousy is eating his guts. He knows the people Jongin takes home means nothing but a one night stand, but it still kills him smoothly, like a sharpened knife.

One particular night Sehun feels particularly sad. So he drinks. And when he sees Jongin dancing he drinks more and more.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jongin materializes at his side.

“Peachy!” Sehun downs his drink and calls for the bartender.

“I think it’s best if you stop drinking, Sehunnie.”

Sehun ignores his friend and asks for another drink.

“I never saw you drinking this much. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Then why?”

“Because nothing happened, don’t you get it?” Jongin shakes his head. He has no idea of what Sehun is talking about. “I am here, by your side, all the time. But you never see me.”

“Of course I see you, Sehunnie.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t see how hopeless in love I am with you.” Sehun deadpans. And when he realizes what he had just  said , he goes away leaving a dumbstruck Jongin behind.

It takes a week for Sehun to muster his courage and go visit Jongin.

“Hello! And welcome to Nini Bear’s…” Jongin’s words die when he sees his friend entering the shop. “Oh! Hi, Sehunnie.”

“Hi, Nini.” Sehun takes his hand to the back of his neck. He does that when he’s nervous and Jongin knows it. “I-I… I wanted to apologize for what happened last Saturday night.”

“Don’t! Please. It’s me who needs to apologize. For all the times I hurted you, even if I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’t know.”

They fall into an uncomfortable silence. One that Jongin decides to break.

“You could have told me.”

Sehun slowly shakes his head. “I couldn’t risk our friendship.”

“I could have tried to love you back.” Jongin walked towards Sehun and offered a hand.

“It’s not what I want, Nini.” Sehun took his hand and entwined their fingers. It’s so easy to get comfortable around Jongin. “I want you to heal. I want to get to know you once you’re whole again. And it’s okay if you end up falling for someone else. It’s okay if I cry in the end.”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

“And it’s okay to be unreasonable. Because when the tears dry, a smile will light up my face. Because you will be happy and that is all I wish for you.”

“It sounds… confusing.”

“The future is confusing, but we shouldn’t lose to its brilliance. I want you to have courage… to heal, to grow, to love again. You deserve love, Nini.” Jongin smiles and for the first time Sehun sees it reaching his eyes. It’s something he will never forget. “Friends?”

Jongin’s answer is to pull him into a bear hug.

Sehun flies to Africa for a new assignment and Jongin misses him, even though they Facetime every other day and even though he’s surrounded by their friends.

“Hello! And welcome to Nini Bear’s Breeches. Just give me a minute…” Jongin is watering some plants, so doesn’t see who comes inside the shop. “What can I help you...” Jongin’s words die when he sees his ex-fiancé staring back at him. “Taeho? What are you doing here?”

“Hello to you too, Jongin. ‘It’s nice to see you’ would be a better greeting, don’t you think?”

“How… how did you find me?” Jongin is astonished. He hasn’t told his family he was back in the country and as far as he knows none of his current friends are connected to anybody in Jeju.

“Instagram!” Jongin is speechless. He created an Instagram account for his shop, but he always made sure to not be associated with it. And his private account hasn’t been updated in years. “Your flower shop is quite popular in Seoul. A friend from college went to the resort to spend his honeymoon and his wife couldn’t shut up about the wedding decorations and the cute couple that owned the shop.  It was annoying and to be honest, I wasn’t paying much attention to her babbling, but at some point I saw your logo in one of the pictures.”

“My logo?”

“Yeah! Your nickname plus a teddy bear gave you up.”

“Ohhhhh…”

“So I checked your Instagram and stalked the people who left comments in most of  the shop’s pictures and that’s how I confirmed it was you behind it.” Taeho looks very proud of himself, which made Jongin frown. “Who is Sehun?” The question gets Jongin out of guard.

“What?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Jongin shuts his mouth and takes a couple of deep breaths.

“Why do you care?” Taeho is about to answer, but Jongin cuts him. “What are you doing here, Taeho?”

“I’m in town for the week and I wanted to come here and check on you, see if you’re doing fine.”

“I’m doing more than fine, thank you very much!”

“I see… do you want to have dinner with me?”

“What?”  Jongin frowns even more. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Maybe.”

“Then my answer is definitely  NO .”

“Why?”

“Are you for real?”  Jongin lets his anger come out . “You cheated on me. When I confronted you, you tried to put the blame on me. You even convinced my family you were innocent and  flipped them against me. I had to leave everything and everybody I loved behind.” His face is red and his  hands are closed in angry fists . Although he’s not a violent person, Jongin is really considering punching his ex’s smug face. “Then you have the nerve to show up in my shop and ask me out on a date?”

“I thought it would be nice to reconnect.”

“Reconnect? I don’t want to reconnect. I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”

“Because of Sehun?”

“What if it was? Mmmh?” Jongin sighs, trying to calm himself. “I don’t owe you any explanation. And I think it’s time for you to leave. Don’t come back. And please, stop stalking my friends.”

Taeho is about to retort when the front door opens and a giant gets inside.

“Nini, it’s time to go, man. Baek and Kyung are waiting in the car. And you know how they hate to get to the theater after the movie started.”

“I’m closing.” Jongin looks at Taeho. “If you don’t mind…”

Taeho leaves, but not without giving Chanyeol a glare.

“Who was that? And why did he give  me that ‘I wanna kill you’ look?”

“Let’s go!” Jongin gets his bag and shushes his friend out of the store. “I’ll tell you all about him in the car.”

Sehun is looking at the small window of the airplane. It’s the first time since Jongin moved to Seoul that  Sehun is not looking forward to seeing him.  He is afraid. Jongin told him the week before  that he was going to Jeju, that it was time to see his family and make amendments.

Sehun thinks it’s a great idea, except flying to Jeju meant a possible reencounter with his ex. And he fears Jongin  finds out he still has feelings for the man.

After landing and catching his backpack, Sehun leaves the airport arrivals area only to find Jongin with both hands behind his back, looking sheepishly but cute.

“Hey!”

“Welcome home!” Jongin raises one hand and gives Sehun a red rose. “Would you like to go  out on a date with me, Sehunnie?”

“A date?”

“Yes. I have a reservation in that Italian restaurant you like so much and two tickets to watch The Lake House. It’s the best movie to cuddle and snuggle according to you, right?”

Sehun nodded.

“Don’t look so surprised. You deserve the whole nine yards.”

Jongin smiles and Sehun’s heart skips a bit.

“What about your ex?”

“What about my ex?”

“Did you meet up with him?”

“He came to see me in Seoul  a couple of weeks ago .”

“And?”

“Nothing…”

“Nothing?”

“Nope! The whole time he was in the shop all I could think about was you.”

“Me?”

“You. I wanted to tell you I was finally cured.”

“You are?”

“Yes!” Jongin raises his other hand and offers Sehun a yellow flower, the same kind Sehun had given him when he first arrived in Seoul. “To new beginnings!”

Every day, every night, everywhere

二人の運命をそっと重ねよう (We’ll gently overlap our destinies)

今二人だけでBegin (Now, just the two of us begin)

**Begin ~Again Version~ by Tohoshinki**

**Author's Note:**

> I did try my best here 🥺


End file.
